The Manchester band released their debut album in 1994 and changed the course of music history forever. Writer Jon Savage, who saw them perform four times that year, remembers a pivotal moment in British pop, culture and politics
It’s late January, 1994. Alerted by a friend, I go to see a new Manchester group, Oasis, at The Water Rats near King’s Cross in London. There’s a buzz: the smallish venue is packed, which makes it difficult to see what is happening on the low stage. A couple of numbers in, I get it: they’re good.
At 41, he was young enough to have been a pop fan — even to the extent of singing with a rock band at university — and, unlike the Tories, understood the importance of British music to the country’s economy and its youth. In early August, the first poll since he became leader had Labour at 56 per cent, a 33-point lead over the Conservatives.